Your Guide To Surviving In The End Times - From The Editors of ChristianMoney.com

03/20/2011

Some Key Lessons from Japan for the Survival-Minded

The recent disaster in Japan highlights, once again, the pressing need for each of us to have a way to handle a sudden collapse of the national economy and infrastructure. What is particularly important to note is the level of distress facing so many Japanese, in light of the fact that Japan is as modern as a country can be. Its achievements in the area of science and technology are legend, the loyalty of its people to the government and each other is renowned, and the educational standards, overall, are as high as any to be found, and yet…none of that has been able to curtail the misery felt by so many of Japan’s citizens in the wake of this crisis. If nothing about the efficient, smart nature of Japan’s structure and citizenry could prevent highly-distressed conditions from setting in after a natural disaster, then no country…not even the United States…is immune from the same threat. Indeed, the days immediately following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast provided some insight as to how vulnerable we can be here in our own country.

What follows are a few lessons for the casual survivalist, gleaned from what we’re seeing in Japan right now.

One Disaster Can Quickly Become Multiple Disasters

The crisis in Japan that exists as a result of an earthquake, a tsunami, and nuclear “meltdowns” began as just one event, of course: the earthquake. Survival preparations, as much as possible, should be made on behalf of as many assumed source problems as possible. For example, if you are making your survival preparations on the basis of hurricane preparedness, but live not far from a nuclear power facility, you would do well to cast an eye to keeping yourself safe from the threat of radiation contamination. One mistake many preppers make is to bring their own personal biases to survival preparation, when the threats they actually face are much broader in scope than those they are considering in particular.

Have Your Survival Backpack Fully Prepared and Ready to Go

It is important that you keep a backpack or other appropriate portable bag smartly stocked with basic necessities like a sleeping bag, rain gear, changes of clothes, survival knife, food provisions (like military MREs), first aid supplies, and other absolute essentials that will help see you through the short term if you have to “beat feet” and get out of your immediate area on short notice. It is being learned that the amount of time between initial tsunami warning alarms and the arrival of the first wave was as short as six minutes – six minutes. Would you be prepared to properly run for your life in six minutes?

Recognize the Impact of Just-in-Time Inventory Systems on You

Retail operations throughout the world, particularly in First World countries like the U.S. and Japan, have long relied on Just-in-Time inventory management as a way to better control costs. The idea behind JIT makes a lot of sense from a business perspective; retail operations keep inventory as low as possible, thereby reducing the associated costs of inventory management and storage. While a superior cost-saving idea for businesses under normal conditions, JIT can be a disaster for citizens in sudden emergencies, when store shelves are quickly depleted and supply lines and other delivery mechanisms for replenishing those shelves are compromised. Many grocery stores, gas stations, and other key retail establishments in Northern Japan are without inventory at all right now. The JIT management system is one more reason why it is so important for you to have a good supply of food and other essential supplies before disaster strikes.

Keep a Supply of Emergency Cash On Hand

When financial professionals speak about having an emergency cash reserve, they usually mean a store of money set aside in something like a bank savings or money market account to which you can turn if you are out of work for a while. That is not what we’re talking about here; what we’re talking about is having a short term supply of actual cash hidden in your home so that you can still operate, as needed, within the economy should the means to process debit cards, credit cards, and other similar means of transacting business become invalid for a time.

As events continue to play out in Japan, we will surely witness a lot of good reminders about how important survival planning of all kinds is to everyone, even those living in “privileged” countries like our own. Remember that the distance between a comfortable, protected existence and one characterized by great physical and emotional vulnerability is a lot shorter than most realize. By making the proper preparations now, you will do as much as you realistically can to ensuring that the distance remains as long as possible.

James L. Paris is the Editor-In-Chief of Christian Money.com and the author of more than 20 books on personal finance. He studied biblical prophecy while a student at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. Along with completing ROTC survival and marksmanship training, he is certified as a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Selling The Mark Of The Beast – How The Antichrist Will Convince The Masses To Willingly Take The Mark.

Bob Yetman, Editor-at-Large at Christian Money.com, is an author & instructor in the realm of personal finance and investing, as well as on topics of fitness and self-defense. A U.S. Army veteran, he has earned a B.A. degree in psychology from Stetson University, numerous licenses and certifications in the financial services industry, and the Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Martial Arts Conditioning designations from the International Sports Sciences Association. He is the co-author of the yet to be released book, Selling The Mark Of The Beast – How The Antichrist Will Convince The Masses To Willingly Take The Mark.

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